MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Adolis Garcia hit a two-run homer in the 10th inning to complete the Texas Rangers’ comeback in a 6-3 win against the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday night.
Garcia had three hits, including his seventh home run, and three RBIs. Texas is 3-0 in extra innings this season and has scored 10 of their 11 runs in the series in the eighth inning or later.
Kyle Gibson, making his first start against his former team, gave up three runs and three hits with eight strikeouts.
Joely Rodriguez (1-1) struck out two in a perfect ninth, and Ian Kennedy gave up a leadoff single before getting a strikeout and game-ending double-play grounder for his eighth save in as many chances.
Brandon Waddell (0-1) gave up all three runs in the 10th for Minnesota after Taylor Rogers allowed Willie Calhoun’s leadoff homer and Isiah Kiner-Falefa’s sacrifice fly in the ninth, which followed third baseman Josh Donaldson’s fielding error on Charlie Culberson’s grounder.
Shortstop Andrelton Simmons managed to track down Kiner-Falefa’s fly but with Simmons’ back turned to the plate, Culberson raced home.
The Twins are 0-6 in extra innings this season.
”Any loss like this is tough, but when you have a bunch of in the first one month to start the year, it’s especially hard,” Minnesota manager Rocco Baldelli said. ”We’ve played a lot of games where we’re playing winning baseball, we’re going into the last inning or two ahead, sometimes well ahead and we haven’t been able to win those ballgames. We have to win those ballgames. We just have to.”
Byron Buxton hit a two-run homer in the first inning for the Twins. Willians Astudillo added a solo home run, but Minnesota only had only four hits.
”I think we’ve got to score more runs, obviously,” Twins catcher Mitch Garver said. ”I think our offense needs to pick it up a little bit. Gibby did throw really well tonight. Just shake it off. We’ll get them tomorrow.”
Luis Arraez was placed on the seven-day IL with concussion-like symptoms. Arraez sustained the injury in a home-plate collision in Monday’s game. To replace Arraez, Minnesota recalled Nick Gordon from Triple-A St. Paul.
Michael Pineda won’t start in his scheduled slot on Wednesday as he deals with a wrist injury. Pineda could possibly start on Thursday with the rest of the rotation pushed back a day. . Rookie Alex Kirilloff was held out of Tuesday’s lineup with a sore wrist. Baldelli said Kirilloff will see a hand and wrist specialist on Wednesday.
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